A model for interlevel coupling noise in multilevel interconnect structures

In multilevel interconnect structures, the interconnect layers are practically always perpendicular to each other. Because of the capacitive coupling between adjacent layers, the switching activity in one layer produces noise in the other. This paper analyses the interlevel coupling noise present at the far end of a victim line when a large number of perpendicular attackers are randomly switching. Each attacker is modeled as a Markov chain and the victim is modeled as an RLC transmission line. The result is a novel closed-form expression for the power spectral density of the interlevel coupling noise.